The lay people of Pomorie sent an open letter to the media in support of Agathopol Bishop Hierotheus. Starting today in Pomorie, a signature in support of the letter will be sent to the Holy Synod.
Here is the letter, unedited:
STATEMENT
from
residents of the city of Pomorie
in support of ep. Hierotheus of Agathopol, abbot of a monastery
“St. int. Georgi Pobedonosets”, Pomorie
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY IS RISEN!
We, the inhabitants of the city of Pomorie, welcomed the brightest Christian holiday – Resurrection of Christ – and the following St. George’s Day with Easter joy in our souls, but also worried about the absence of our beloved shepherd and spiritual mentor, Ep. Hierotheus.
Because St. Vmch. George the Victorious, who is the patron of the Pomorie Monastery, is also celebrated as the patron of our city, and for the past two decades we have invariably marked these solemn events with the living presence of our worthy bishop.
We use this disruption as an opportunity to share our deep regret at the exclusion of ep. Ierotei from the list of eligible candidates for Sliven Metropolitan, due to unproven accusations of lack of business and lack of administrative skills.
We could not pass this Synod decision without sharing our assessment, built from our twenty years of direct communication with Fr. Ierotheus, whom we know as a monk, and as an abbot, and as a bishop of the BOC.
We remember ep. Ierotei was still a novice when he came to the monastery in 2003. Two years later, he was appointed abbot of the monastery, a duty to which, we dare say, he approached it with extreme responsibility and dedication.
Over the past years, under his skilled leadership, the church and the bell tower were overhauled, as well as restoration and strengthening works were carried out in the monastery cell wing, the gates were replaced, and the monastery yard was improved.
A museum collection with church relics was opened in the monastery wing, where monk Sergius gave talks to visitors. Grandfather Ierotei took care not only of his monastery – on his initiative the church was built in the village of Alexandrovo, commune. Pomorie.
The true shepherd, however, is seen not only in the labors in strengthening the dominions entrusted to him, but also in the zeal and zeal with which he cares for his flock. And his gracious efforts are by no means few.
After the death of Ep. Hierotei and with the assistance of monks, priests and teachers in the monastery, classes on religious education were held with students from the elementary course, as well as Sunday talks with adult worshippers. Grandfather Ierotei was also actively involved in the Sunday school at the church “St. Ivan Rilski”, Burgas.
Already in the first years of his appointment as abbot, the monastery hosted large groups of campers from Belarus – disabled children and orphans who arrived here together with their parents and two educators from the spiritual center “St. Seraphim Sarovsky” (city of Minsk). The groups participated in liturgies, Orthodox talks, games and competitions and came every summer for 8 years.
The geopolitical and economic crisis in the region after the tension in Donbas led to a gradual weakening of this initiative, but such summer camps were also organized for Christians from the Sliven Diocese and from other dioceses in the country. Bishop Ierotei took care of the children with true love, confessed the little worshipers and preached among them the basics of the Christian faith.
Excursions were organized for Sunday school graduates under the motto “In the footsteps of Orthodoxy”, provided by the monastery. These charities did not bring material gains to the monastery, but gained much more – the spiritual joy of the piety of the growing children.
To all undertakings related to the cultural and spiritual life of the city, ep. Iertoei responded with sincere sympathy.
There have been guest exhibitions in the space of the museum collection, and the abbot assisted the Historical Museum by borrowing church exhibits (books, utensils, icons) in expositions dedicated to Christianity in Anchialo.
Every year together with miter. Ioanikiy Igumen Ierotei opened the international festival of Orthodox music “St. Bogoroditsa – Dostoino esti”, which has been held in our city for twenty years, and after the death of the bishop, our bishop continued this participation.
He was an honored guest at all events related to national and regional holidays, alongside community leaders, teachers, educators, close to all who need his pastoral blessing and assistance.
Because he alone, with his presence, words and deeds, suggested that the economic and economic development of the city cannot and should not happen without the spiritual.
Bishop Hierotheus approached his public tasks not as an obligation, but as a ministry. Apart from these works for the world outside the temple, our bishop was and remains the great joy of his monastery parish.
Each one of us, who communicated with him, carries within himself the affection and inspiration of having been with such a spiritual guide. A rare confessor, a dedicated supplicant for all our sorrows and joys, a supporter in our lack of faith, an outstanding preacher, grandfather Hierotheus strengthened his congregation in true love of God.
The abbot led us with unexpected wisdom for his years, with an accurate assessment of the infirmities and weaknesses of each one of us, with care not to overburden us, but also with severity, so as not to incite us to permissiveness and dishonor. Most important for us was his personal example.
In years of militant materialism, at a time when the Church was criticized for its lack of real connection with its people and for the ostentatious standard of some church hierarchs, our bishop won our trust with his meekness, modesty, humility, diligence and kindness.
With a warm smile and attention to each of his hair. With the readiness to lay down his life for his flock.
His gift for communicating, bringing together and organizing people (laity and clergy) also bore fruit in his episcopal ministry. During the last three years of his ministry, we missed him in the monastery because he had taken over the duties of the gravely ill miter. Ioannicius.
Ep. Ierotei practically continuously served in the churches of Sliven, Yambol and Burgas regions and in his episcopal activity he managed to achieve unification of the priesthood in the diocese.
His role in strengthening the spiritual integrity of the Sliven Metropolis and in extinguishing the tension between the camps created within the diocese is due in no small measure to his personal qualities – his social skills, his peace-making nature, his kindness and diplomacy.
It is no coincidence that the current trial – the cancellation of the Sliven metropolitan elections, in which he was the undisputed favorite of the diocesan voters, as well as his subsequent exclusion from the list of candidates for the next elections – he met again with Christian humility, patience and meekness and with an appeal to the outraged laity to hope in God’s will and providence.
To this devoted archpastoral activity we must add one more thing, about which we learn not from grandfather Ierotheus, but from grateful people, grateful for the hand given in time.
The bishop has repeatedly donated funds to the poor, to refugees from Ukraine, to the sick, and also to medical equipment, but all this was done without ostentation and publicity.
We firmly believe that ep. Hierothei is worthy of the metropolitan throne of the widowed Sliven Diocese, to which he dedicated ten fruitful years of active episcopal ministry.
We sincerely suffer from the attempts to tarnish his name, since for the past twenty years in Pomorie we have seen only good from him. And as his spiritual children, we express our deep and heartfelt gratitude for his gracious service in the city of Pomorie.
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